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Sleep is probably the most talked about topic when it comes to babies. It’s such a crucial part of your baby’s development and fundamental to the well-being of parents too, so it’s no wonder that we focus on sleep so much. We’ve put together some top tips to help your baby sleep better.

At my mother’s group, sleep was always a hot topic. Do you have a good or bad sleeper, do they sleep through the night, are they a cat-napper? My eldest was always the worst sleeper out of the group – I was the one with the dark rings around my eyes and trying to keep my eyes open while the others were comparing how many hours their baby had slept. To be fair, I was a new mum and was basically just winging it. But when my subsequent kids came along, I was much more prepared and far more focused on helping my baby to get better sleep. The quality and quantity of baby sleep has a massive effect on your and your baby’s wellbeing so it’s crucial to help your baby sleep better.

Why Is Baby Sleep So Important?

Babies grow and develop rapidly, so it’s really important that babies get enough sleep for optimal brain development. Getting sufficient sleep will give your child the energy they need for active play and good health.

Did you know that growth hormone is predominantly secreted during deep sleep? So helping to improve your baby’s sleep can also help to facilitate their growth.

How Much Sleep Does A Baby Need?

Young babies usually need between 14 and 17 hours sleep over the day and night. As your baby gets older, they will tend to sleep longer in the night and less during the day.

Tips To Help Your Baby Sleep Better

Self-Soothing will encourage better sleeping

Encouraging your baby to self-soothe is the holy grail of better sleeping habits. But this is a tricky one to get right, especially if you’re not keen on letting your bub cry. With my eldest, we used every sleeping crutch we could – rocking, holding, sleeping in the pram, snoozing in the sling and this eventually caught up with us. We were all exhausted and we ultimately had to consult with a professional sleep expert to give us the sleep strategy we needed and to teach us the Red Nose Safety Sleep Guidelines.

Once we helped our baby on the path towards self-soothing, sleep improved dramatically.

Take my word for it, it’s much easier to start the process of self-soothing earlier on, as the older your bub gets, the more difficult it is to break bad sleeping habits.

The key is to try not to let your baby fall asleep while feeding and put them in their cot while they are awake. After 6 months, you can work towards comforting a fussing baby without taking them out of the cot and try and encourage them to get back to sleep on their own.

Ensure Your Baby Is Comfortable

One of the most important factors for better baby sleep is to ensure that your bub is comfortable. If they’re too hot or too cold, you’re guaranteed to have a disrupted night.

Make sure your baby is dressed appropriately for the best possible slumber. We absolutely love the new BONDS Wondercool baby range. This is an innovative range of babywear made with adaptive cooling fabric that keeps bub so comfy and it’s the only clothing approved by Red Nose for safer sleep.

Keep in mind that babies can’t adjust to temperature changes as well as adults and regular clothing interferes with the process of regulating their own temperature. Babies also sweat less, which makes them generate more heat than adults and reduces their ability to cool down.

Bonds Wondercool imitates the skin’s natural bodily process of evaporative cooling. As skin temperature heats up, the Wondercool technology activates to achieve cooling. When baby’s body heat lowers, the level of sweat is reduced, and the cooling effect of the fabric adapts and deactivates once cooling is complete. Genius!

Put a routine in place

I’m all about routine so I did my best to put a solid routine in place from the time my baby was around 12 weeks old. It didn’t always work but it certainly helped me to organise my day better and as my child grew, they enjoyed the structure our routine provided.

Create a bedtime ritual that includes a bath, massage, book, lullaby and bed around about the same time every night.

Create an environment conducive to sleep

Ensure that your child’s sleep environment helps to improve baby sleep. This includes maintaining a consistent temperature of the room. You may need to use a fan or air-conditioner to cool the air in summer. Also, if you dress your baby in a BONDS Wondercool suit, this also helps to keep bub cool and comfy. Also ensure that the room is dark, to signal to the body that it is sleep time. Some kids are intimidated by darkness so you can use a dim night light, which can remain on through the night.

Bedtime Books

One of my child’s favourite part of the sleep routine is book time. Reading is great for learning but it also helps prepare your child for sleep. Reading to your child is very relaxing and enjoyable and it’s a bonding ritual that can continue for many years.

The Bonds Wondercool range is available in all Bonds stores and online at www.bonds.com.au. Also available at selected retailers including Big W, Myer, Best & Less, Baby Bunting and Farmers (NZ).

This article was created in partnership with Bonds. We have tried out Bond’s new Wondercool range and we couldn’t wait to get the word out about this adaptive cooling fabric that keeps bub so comfy and helps baby to have a better sleep.

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • I’m the mum with the dark circles under the eyes, struggling to concentrate and stay awake. And my bub is 13 months old. Allergies can prove to make sleep near impossible no matter what you do. A good routine has helped and not jsyt before bed but throughout the day.


    • I hope things have calmed for you. I hear you and I understand.
      My eldest was a nigthmare and proved to me one day that she could stay awake and scream for 12hours straight. I took her to the Docs only to be told yet again that she was fine. *sigh*

    Reply

  • Every baby is different and it make take one thing or a combination of afew things. I believe in routine but for me, both my kids had allergies so I till we figured that out and cut those things out… no amount of routine, clothes , books etc fixed it.
    If things don’t work, keep searching till you find an answer:/solution

    Reply

  • If you are going to dress baby in a onesie(I don’t care what brand it is) the same issues can arise.
    Make sure they are long enough in the legs and feet. They are better with the body slightly big but they must be able to stretch their legs and feet and those parts be a bit loose. You can damage your baby’s legs and feet otherwise, I have read a few warnings and seen one report on TV during with some well known GPs, paediatricians and orthopaedic surgeons were interviewed. Think about it – we don’t like tight shoes.

    Reply

  • This looks perfect I can’t wait to try this

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  • I found that you try a bunch of different things to find what works best for you and your baby. Also to relax when things like sickness and teething throw it all out the window and you then need to start again

    Reply

  • routines are great until you get that growth spurt where they change and then you need to adjust your routine. The best tip though is to remember all babies are unique and will have their own routine that suits you and them best. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself trying to find it just go with the flow and you will get there

    Reply

  • Agree with an evening ritual for sleeping. My kids were all good sleepers, but they all had lots of time in the outdoors from the time I brought them home and I think this alone is conducive to a good night’s sleep.

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  • I can’t “self sooth* with my baby as he ALWAYS feeds to sleep, he’s 16 weeks old and has fed to sleep from day 1 so iv no idea how to do it unless I was to wake him up and let’s face it you never wake a sleeping baby.. so any tips are appreciated haha

    Reply

  • Great tips the best being the self soothing one ! And yes we love the Bonds Wondercool baby suit range. My 6yr old fits still size 3 which is good :)

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  • Yep agree need a routine and get them used to being in their bassinet or crib

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  • Routine is great but you also can’t be too rigid because then they can’t adapt. There’s a fine line.

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  • I used Save our Sleep for baby one and it worked a dream!
    I tried it for baby 2 but all medical appointments either fell during nap times or I had to wake him for the long drive.
    Routine does make all the difference in the world. I’ll need to work out a new one for this next baby as now I have school aged children and will need to work around the school run!


    • I have 8 1/2 years age gap yes same dad it was just timing and money
      Second time around I’m lucky to say I have fairly good sleepers 2nd self settles 1 didn’t it slept through 2nd wakes at night sometimes and won’t self settle so she sleeps next to me
      With routine I work 3 days a week so she is in care she sort of has a routine but on my 2 days off with school drop off it’s a bit hard especially if I need to run around for things she will sleep in the car or pram and if I’m home I give her an early lunch and bed then sometimes I’m waking her up to pick her sister up from school

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  • I’m trying to start a routine now,it’s hard but pays off

    Reply

  • my baby is a very sensitive sleeper but the trick is leaving a scent of me behind so she thinks I’m still there.

    Reply

  • My eldest was a terrible sleeper until 9 months. My youngest was a dream.

    Reply

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